Re: Complete NEWBIE - website creation first step

Posted 12 August 2012 - 09:26 PM

I am not sure what features you are talking about... if need be search the giant list of widgets for drupal/wordpress/joomla.. I am certain what you are asking already has been written.. then it's just a small trouble of installing the widget on your CMS and turning it on.

Re: Complete NEWBIE - website creation first step

If I can find a widget that has this functionality, that would be AWESOME. Writing the php, unfortunately I am. Noob and do not know where to begin, much less the prgram to use:

Perhaps I can begin my search of widgets. Basically I want to build a portfolio online where people would be able to see past works done. This would be displayed prominently on my page . That is why I am asking if I need a database to store these files.

Re: Complete NEWBIE - website creation first step

Posted 12 August 2012 - 09:50 PM

Webs is an HTML/Static content only host. You need a host with php, (my/ms/postgre)sql, and it will more than likely cost you money to get up. Hostmonster has never done me wrong with the time I've used them, and the prices are fairly reasonable, you might look into it.

Here's a basic rundown of how the web works, put in a house metaphor:

Static

HTML - Hyper Text Markup Language. Think of this as the structure of the web, the skeleton. This is how you structure and designate portions of text, hence mark up language. It's the groundwork and architecture of the house.

CSS - Cascading Style Sheet. This is the wallpaper, where the pieces of architecture go, and how it looks. CSS is a style sheet, it styles things.

Javascript - A client side scripting language. These are the moving parts you can see, and anyone else can see. You can effectively do anything with this language, but remember that anyone can see it, making it ineffective for logins and other sensitive information.

Dynamic

PHP - A Server Side language. This works behind the scenes outside of the view of people of the public. It's used for logins and things we don't want other people to see. I personally consider it the equivalent of bad plumbing and patch work, duct tape for less than elegant fixes.

Rails - Another Server Side language. My personal favorite. Your house can now redefine itself completely in ways never thought possible. Ruby, its base, allows for metaprogramming. This means programs that write programs dynamically. Fair warning: the complexities of that part of Ruby are well beyond a beginner.